'Fantastic Beasts' franchise grows to 5 films

NEW YORK (AP) — J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" isn't going to be a trilogy, it's going to be a pentalogy.

At a fan event for the upcoming film in London on Thursday, the author revealed that the budding franchise will now stretch to five films. The first, starring Eddie Redmayne, opens November 18.

The announcement, which Warner Bros. confirmed, immediately fueled conjecture that the "Harry Potter" prequel, set decades before Potter's birth, could lead right up to the young wizard.

Actors Dan Fogler, from left, Alison Sudol, Katherine Waterston and Eddie Redmayne pose for photographers upon arrival at the photo call of the film 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', at a central London hotel, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

The second "Fantastic Beasts" is already in pre-production, and due in theaters November 2018.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows, from left, Katherine Waterston, Eddie Redmayne, Alison Sudol and Dan Folger in a scene from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." At a fan event for the upcoming film in London on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016, J.K. Rowling revealed that the budding franchise will now stretch to five films. The first, starring Eddie Redmayne, opens November 18. (Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Actor Eddie Redmayne poses for photographers upon arrival at the global fan event of the film 'Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them', in London, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)